From googly to reality

The reality

In a previous post I talked about the use of Google Street View and how it can allow one to view the spread of invasive species over time. 

The Googly (from Google Street View)

The example I used was for Neyraudia reynaudiana (burmareed), a tall fire-adapted grass which has been destroying Pine Rockland ecosystems in Florida.

I swear that I was not looking specifically for it, but I somehow ended up in the same place during an exploration in Homestead, FL. In fact, I did not realize it was the same place until I came back to the hotel and mapped the location on Google Maps, where I was extremely surprised to discover the coincidence.

The masses of N. reynaudiana was heaps more impressive in person, their huge 3-4 meter tall forms towering above me like some impenetrable wall, and I stood there for so long that some local started eying me suspiciously as I wondered at the stately grass. Perhaps he thought I was some drug dealer waiting for a rendezvous, or perhaps he was simply wondering why the crazy guy was taking pics of the grasses. 

The world works in mysterious ways, and sometimes it gives a pleasant surprise.